To New Beginnings
by ScabbedKneesandRippedJeans
Summary: AU. The Fitches have just moved to the states. Emily's life has been pretty bland. Until the school misfit flips everything upside-down, that is.
1. Chapter 1

My eyes opened lazily. There was no incessant beeping of an alarm clock, no shouts warning me to get up. Nothing but a white ceiling staring back at me, Katie's low snore, and the immense feeling that my life was about to change significantly; like the gravitational pull of the Earth had just shifted, for no particular reason.

I turned in bed uncomfortably and shut my eyes tight. _Curse my subconscious for waking me up at,_ I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock, _5:32 in the bloody morning on my first day of Senior year._ I groaned and flipped over, willing myself to go back to sleep. After half an hour of twisting and turning, I accept the fact that my attempts are futile, and with one final annoyed sigh, I head towards the bathroom. _At least I'll have a warm shower, for once._

An hour later and I'm startled out of my shower-induced haze by banging on the bathroom door. "Get the fuck out of there, bitch!" I roll my eyes and shut off the shower.

"Fuck's sake, Katie. Keep your vagina on, I'm coming," I grumble while wrapping a towel tightly around my damp body. I make a quick stop in front of the mirror. Tired eyes stare back at me, clearly showing the lack of sleep I attained last night. My usually bright red hair looks purple, soaked through with water. I jump at the sound of another loud bang on the door, which is shortly followed by an annoyed "What the hell you doin' in there, lezza? You can scrub all you like; you'll still smell like shite". I let out one last frustrated groan and head out of the bathroom, shooting daggers at my smug looking twin on the way out.

* * *

><p>Six hours later and it's still just another ordinary day. Sure, there was the staring and the low murmur of the entire school whispering about the 'new foreign twins', so maybe not an <em>ordinary<em> day; but after four new schools in the past three years, you get used to it. But for some strange reason, I still couldn't shake that feeling, that same feeling that jolted me out of sleep this morning. Five out six classes on my first day were through, and yet still nothing has set this day apart from any other. _Just another boring day in the uneventful life of Emily Fitch_, I thought to myself bitterly.

A strong hand pulling me into the bathroom breaks me out of my wallowing in self-pity. "Fuck. Tear my arm off why don't you, Katie," I bite as I rub the sore spot on my arm that had to suffer through Katie's death grip.

"Oh, wah," Katie scoffs. I look up at the sound of a clicking of the door lock and find Katie glaring at me. I back up in fear. Trust me; you don't want to be on the receiving end of one of Katie's glares. She takes the phrase 'if looks could kill' to a whole other level. And if looks _could_ kill, these dirty bathroom walls would have a fresh new coat of sticky red paint, with little chunks of Emily strewn randomly about the room. Katie laughs menacingly at my reaction. "Have you got any idea what the whole school is talking about, Emily?" she asks in a low voice, creeping closer to me. I step back in time with her approach.

"I don't know. Us?" I reply in a weak voice. Katie's cool exterior broke then, no longer finding any amusement in making me squirm.

"No, you twat. You! All they're talking about is you, and how you're a filthy lezzer! Christ, Em, do you have to dress like such a man?" Katie shouted. She harrumphed and marched over to one of the sinks, leaning her hands on it and staring into the mirror. I looked down at my outfit. A black Pink Floyd shirt hanging off my shoulder, a pair of faded skinny jeans, and black high-top Converse folded over at the top. Certainly not my best outfit, but not anything I thought really shouted 'look at me, I'm a big fat lesbian!'. I scoffed.

"Yeah, I see how that could be really embarrassing for you. Now, if you're well done being a child, this _lezzer_'s got Politics class to get to. Don't want to keep my fans waiting," I retort, sarcasm dripping off my every word. Katie opens her mouth to respond when one of the cubicle doors flies open. A lanky brunette with enchanting eyes floats out, her face covered in an amused smirk. She stares at me as she walks up, stopping right in front of the two of us. She turns her head towards Katie and looks her up and down. Katie's mouth snaps shut, all evidence of her anger completely vanished, replaced with a look that could be compared to a mixture of awe and terror. The girl turns back to me with raised eyebrows and opens her mouth.

"Come on, lezza," she says, void of any emotion, and turns on her heels. I follow after her without realizing I'm doing so. We brisk past Katie, still rooted to her spot, and float though the door.

We don't stop when we hear the bathroom door fly open. Don't look back when we hear Katie's voice shout after us, "You didn't even wash your hands, you nasty bitch!"

* * *

><p>It wasn't until we stopped in front of a door that I realize that I have no idea who the hell it was I was following or where exactly I was following her to. "Er, excuse me-?"<p>

"Effy," the girl responds, turning around to face me with that same amused smirk from before covering her face. I scrunch my eyebrows together in a questioning look.

"Pardon?" I ask, confused as to what exactly 'Effy' is supposed to mean. I step back and let people walk between the weird girl and I, giving them access to the door we're currently blocking.

"Effy Stonem." She extends her hand and shoots me a forced lopsided smile, the act of actually smiling seeming painful to her. My eyebrows only scrunch together closer. _What the hell kind of name is that?_ I can't help but to think to myself. Effy keeps her hand outstretched and lifts an eyebrow in what seems like amusement. _Creepy_.

"Emily Fitch," I stretch my arm out to meet hers. She shakes my hand firmly once before fluidly retracting her hand back to her coat pocket. That amused smirk of hers has reared its ugly head again.

"The one and only," she offers, clearly amused with her joke, and turns back towards the class. "We've got politics together," she says with an airy tone and saunters through the door. I stand there, mouth agape, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. I snap my mouth shut and scramble for my schedule, not sure if I exactly trust this Effy girl to have actually led me to the right place. I glance back and forth between the piece of paper and the sign next to the door, confirming that Effy had indeed taken me to my politics class. _Well, at least she's not evil yet._

I walk into the room to find every seat taken, except for the one next to Effy, who is wearing that damn smirk again and has an eyebrow raised at me. I march over to her, eyes trained on the ground to make sure I don't trip over anyone's book bag and make a complete tit out of myself on my first day. I make it to my seat in one peace and thank every god I know that I managed to stay upright. I hear Effy chuckle besides me, and I turn towards her questioningly.

"Thought I'd lead you astray, did you?" she asks, not seeming at all insulted. I chuckle too, because it was a bit ridiculous. She did save me from being brutally murdered by Katie, after all.

"Yeah, well. Wasn't so sure I could trust someone with a name like Effy." I smile cheekily at her, and win a genuine smile back in response.

"Fair enough," she responds and turns back to the front of the class, where a dirty looking man with a scruffy beard has taken his place behind a podium.

"Right, you fuckers," he spits, thick with a Scottish accent. I'm the only one who seems remotely shocked by his use of language. "For those of you who don't know me, my name's Kieran. I'm not even going to bother with my last name, because I've no doubt any of you idiots will be able to pronounce it anyways. Now, introductions. You, the dirty one with the funky teeth. Tell us something about your beautiful life." He waves his hand at some bloke sitting at the back corner of the class, and plops down, grumbling profanities to himself under his breath.

The boy kicks his feet up onto his desk, leans back, and throws his hands up in the air, seemingly not remotely taken aback by the jab at his teeth. "I'm Cook!" he shouts, and a few whoops and giggles erupt around the classroom. The class settles after a second and the boy continues. "The ladies call me the Cookie Monster," more giggles, "and I'm the man to come to if you're looking for a good time." At this he looks over at me and smiles in what I assume he thinks is a charming way. "In every sense of the word," he purrs, and the class giggles some more. Cook winks at me, then proceeds to high five one of his mates. I try my hardest to keep from throwing up.

"Inspirational," Kieran deadpans. He's about to pick on me, pointing some metal stick in my direction, when someone mutters a cold "_tosser"_ from one of the seats towards the front of the class. The entire class falls completely silent, only to be broken moments later by a low bellow from Cook.

"Who you talkin' to, Blondie? Me, or one of those voices in your head?" The class erupts in laughter. I'm totally confused. What the hell is Kieran doing? I look to the front of the classroom to find his chair completely deserted. I'm not even remotely surprised.

"Careful, Cook. Shouldn't be poking fun at me, or I might just listen to what those voices in my head are telling me to do to you right now," the girl responds emotionlessly, still facing forward. A few stray _oooh, burn_s and _ouch_es come from the class, but the room remains mostly silent.

"One of those voices telling you to fuck me, Naomikins? I've always wanted to do a crazy chick." The class bursts with laughter again. The girl I assume is named Naomi scoffs.

"I'm psychotic, Cook. Not blind." A few people laugh at this, Effy among them. I turn to the girl besides me and raise an eyebrow, trying to silently ask her what in the bloody hell is going on. She scribbles something on a piece of paper and slips it to me.

_Naomi Campbell. Rumor has it she's mental._

I read the sharp lopsided letters and scoff to myself. I already hate this school. So far it's been nothing but gossip and wankers. I flip the note over and write something down sloppily, then slide it back over to Effy.

_Key word being 'rumour'?_

Effy just smirks at me approvingly and turns back towards the bickering pair. Cook is now leaning forward in his seat, a wicked look covering his face. "You sure 'bout that, Blondie? The way you're dressed is telling me otherwise." The class howls with laughter, all but Effy and I joining in.

Several things happen all at once. Naomi whips around in her seat wearing a death glare, seemingly ready to tear Cook apart, Effy shoots out of her chair and announces "My name is Effy Stonem, and my mom is having an affair", and my world both explodes and finds its meaning at the same time.

The blonde has the most beautiful icy blue eyes I've ever seen. And even though her face is contorted with anger, she's still stunning, with very elegant features. I struggle to breathe.

An awkward silence settled over the classroom, the fight completely forgotten after Effy's introduction. Everyone is too baffled by her confession to even notice me drooling over Naomi, who is now looking at Effy with a puzzled look. The girl besides me floats back down into her seat, seemingly completely unfazed by the several pairs of eyes looking at her like she's a mad woman. I break out of my Naomi-induced trance and rise, deciding to break the tension. I awkwardly clear my throat and keep my eyes down. "Er, hi. I'm Emily Fitch, and when it's cold enough to see your breath, I like to go outside and pretend I'm a wolf." I blush and awkwardly sit back down. The class remains silent for a few dreadful seconds, and I'm about to run to the bathroom and commit suicide for making such a nob of myself when Cook erupts in a hysterical laughter. The rest of the class soon follows.

I look over at Effy, who is smiling at me approvingly and slides me another note.

_You can stay._

I smile to myself and relax. I look up and see Naomi looking at me, an amused smirk gracing her face before she turns back around in her seat. The class continues on with their introductions, and after Kieran returns from who-knows-where the class goes on as normal, everyone seemingly unaware of my heart doing back-flips over the elusive blonde at the front of the classroom.

* * *

><p>After class, Effy waits for me to pack up my bag. I inwardly smile to myself, glad to have managed to make a friend on the first day. Despite the fact that the girl kind of creeps me out, she seems nice underneath it all, and I'm in no position to cast aside the one person who has bothered to speak to me all day. So when Effy murmurs "follow me" I follow without objection.<p>

She leads me to a shaded area under a tree in the school's expansive green. She sits down against the huge trunk, and I mimic her actions. She wordlessly offers me a cigarette and I gratefully accept. "So, lezzer," she starts as she's lighting my fag. I roll my eyes at her and she just smirks and continues. "You're not from here." I scoff, but accept that that is Effy-speak for 'where are you from?'.

"Was it the accent that gave it away, or have you already done a background check on me?" I cheekily replied. I wasn't going to play her games, whatever they were. If she wanted her questions answered, she'd have to ask them directly. And if the pleased look on Effy's face was anything to go by, she respected me for that. She just chuckled in response and turned to look out towards the field, and I did the same.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, both enjoying our cigarettes and people watching, when Naomi walked into view, barefoot and carrying her shoes in her hands. I swooned a little at her adorableness. Both Naomi and I jumped when Effy shouted "Campbell!" very loudly across the field. Naomi smiled upon realizing who was beckoning her, and started heading towards us. My head snapped to Effy, who turned and looked at me with a quirked eyebrow.

I looked up and saw that the beauty was now standing over us; giving Effy a smirk that very closely resembled the one the brunette had given me several times today. "Stonem," she greeted.

Effy smiled with closed lips and nodded towards the shoes in Naomi's hands. "Nice shoes."

"I'm not sure whether you're actually complimenting my shoes, or poking fun at the fact that I'm not wearing them. For your sake, I'm going to pretend it's the former and thank you kindly," Naomi responded. And fuck me, that voice. It quite literally sounded like music to my ears.

Effy chuckled and shook her head. "And what if it's the latter?"

"Then you'll get a shoe to the head," Naomi responded with a shrug, obviously trying not to smile. I looked back towards Effy, who was regarding Naomi with a playfully quirked eyebrow.

"What a lovely first impression you're making, Campbell," Effy nodded her head towards me. Naomi chuckled and quickly looked at me, then back to Effy.

"At least it's an honest one," she said with a smirk and a shrug of her slender shoulders. My breath caught in my chest when she turned to regard me fully. "Wolf girl, right?" Effy burst out in laughter and I blushed.

"Er, yeah. I usually go by Emily, though," I responded shyly and looked up to find Naomi smiling warmly at me.

"She also goes by lezzer," Effy butt in. I swear to God I could have killed Effy then, if I weren't so busy being thoroughly embarrassed. I looked down and tried to cover my furious blush with my hair. Naomi just laughed.

"I think I like Wolf Girl better," she said warmly. I looked up through my lashes at the blonde, who was smiling down at me. I smiled shyly back up at her and took another drag from my cigarette to try and settle my nerves. Naomi's eyes followed the trail of my cigarette, then quickly looked away from me and ran her hands through her hair. "Right, well. I've better be on my way. It was nice meeting you, Emily," she said hurriedly then scurried off away from the school. Effy chuckled and I punched her as hard as I could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys. So sorry for the inexcusably long time between updates. But I have been writing a lot more lately, so updates will definitely be much more frequent. I condensed the first three chapters of this story into one, because I realized upon re-reading that they were all very short and full of errors, so that's why there's now only two chapters. As always: reviews, criticism, and suggestions are always welcome. Thank you all kindly. C:**

Weeks passed, and I got to know Naomi very well. Not on a personal level, I hadn't spoken to her since that first day. But I knew that she liked to set out everything in her lunch pack neatly onto the table, and took a bite out of everything before she decided what to eat first. And her entire meal was centered around creating the perfect last bite, which were always enormous. I knew that she loved animals, because she'd smile to herself whenever a squirrel scampered by or a bird flew overhead. I knew that she had a lovely voice, because I would make the slightly longer trip to the bathrooms by her choir class almost every third period in hopes of hearing her voice over all the other girls, and I always could. I know that she refused to wear shoes a second longer than was absolutely necessary. I know that she still referred to me as 'Wolf Girl', and found it adorable how I came out of my ceramics class covered in clay every day, because she told this to Effy and Effy told me. I know that she wants to go to school for a very long time and learn to do everything, because she thinks it'd be ridiculous to choose between being a vet, baking, or any of her many other passions. I know this because she complained about it for a good part of a Politics lesson one day. Effy has dropped hints that her and Naomi were good friends at one point, and that Effy is one of the few people she still speaks to. I know that something terrible must have happened to Naomi to have made her such a loner, because Effy has hinted at this, too.

"It's not my place to tell you," Effy had said between puffs of her fourth cigarette at our spot underneath the tree where we had sat that first day, and nearly every day since then.

"But something did happen? She hasn't just always been like this?" I ask while I watch our topic of conversation walk across the field, as I have done for 5 days a week the past 3 weeks. Although it has never clearly been stated by either of us, Effy knows about my huge crush on Naomi, and she teases me with little snippets of information about the girl. But they're always superficial things, like how her favorite color is grey, or that her favorite book is _Les Misérables_, which she's read at least 5 times now. But whenever I ask her anything too personal about the other girl she closes up like a shell. I respect Effy for this, in a way; that despite her minimal relationship with the girl, she's willing to keep her secrets. It's still annoying, though.

Effy just took another drag and looks over all the students buzzing around the green. "You'll just have to ask her yourself," she responds after a few seconds. I roll my eyes and pull out my second cigarette from where it was tucked behind my ear.

"Sure, I'll just casually ask her what happened to cause her distaste for seemingly all humans except for you during our next friendly conversation, which we both know are a common occurrence." I murmur the last part while lighting my cigarette between my lips. Effy ignores me and calls across the field to Naomi, as she has done on multiple occasions the past few weeks. I smile politely at the blonde when she looks up.

"She's not going to come over," I say bitterly through my teeth to Effy as I watch the object of my obsession glance at me and politely dismiss Effy as she has done every time she has beckoned her over. Effy just chuckles.

"Since when are you such a cynic, Em?" she says while handing me her cigarette. I am confused by this, as I already have my own in my hands, and was going to object until she cups her hands around her mouth and shouts "CAMPBELL. COME HERE. I KNOW YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO BE." A look of mortification crossed Naomi's face for a split second, until it is replaced with a face of pure annoyance. I was going to pummel Effy for causing such a look to muddy up Naomi's beautiful face until I realized that said face was actually begrudgingly marching towards us, completely ignoring all the lingering students snickering at her. My stomach practically fell out my butt at the sight of her approaching.

"What?" Naomi practically barks once she reaches us, arms crossed, staring pointedly at Effy. I can't help but wish those deep blues would grace me with their cold stare. I know if I were to look at Effy right now, she'd be wearing that goddamn smirk of hers, but I can't tear my eyes off of the blonde.

"Hello, Naomi. Emily, say hello," Effy commands me while making a grab for her cigarette, which I'm still holding.

"Hi," my voice comes out weak and cracked, probably due to how nervous I am to actually be in Naomi's direct presence. Naomi breaks eye contact with Effy and sighs deeply. I'm scared that I might've annoyed her until I realize that she's taken up a much less threatening stance. I can't help but be confused by this.

"Hey, Emily." Naomi says while looking at the ground, a lot less ice in her voice, but still a hint of annoyance. "What did you want, Effy?" She lifts her head and looks at Effy, who I'm sure is looking pleased with herself; Naomi rolls her eyes in response. Something I've noticed she does quite a bit.

"Take a seat, grump. We've got matters to discuss," Effy says while scooting over and patting the now vacated spot between us. Naomi gives her a pointed glare and sits down criss-cross right where she stood. I look away from the blonde for the first time since she's arrived and try to hide my hurt expression. Effy just shrugs her shoulders and continues. "So Naomi, me and my big lesbian," Effy shoves her thumb in my direction and Naomi and I make awkward eye contact, which she breaks within nanoseconds. My heart skips a beat until I remember the girl refuses to even sit next to me. "are having a party tonight. And we'd both very much enjoy it if you came. Wouldn't we, Emily?" I turn to Effy at this. This is the first I've heard of any party. Effy just shoots me a look that tells me not to question her.

"Yeah, it's gonna be great. I mean, it'd be nice if you'd come." I smile sheepishly at the blonde, who is giving me a somewhat questioning look. I have to hold myself back with every fiber of my being to not kiss away those knots in her eyebrows.

"Er, parties aren't exactly my scene," Naomi says, keeping eye contact with me while she says so, confused look still plastered on her face. I want to tell her that I know this, that she'd much rather spend a lazy day on her roof reading stories than watch her peers make tits of themselves; that I'd like to join her instead of being one of those tits, like I usually am.

"Nor is it Emily's. Which is why I want you two losers to keep each other company." Naomi looks at me skeptically and I shudder under her stare. I wasn't sure exactly where Effy was pulling this information from, especially considering I've always loved a good party, but I've come to learn that Effy always has a plan, and they usually work.

"Yeah, definitely, parties are…" I search my brain for a convincing negative adjective someone who doesn't like parties would use. I'm naturally a bad liar, and under the questioning stare of those big blue eyes I struggled even more to come up with something. "Parties are gross." I clear my throat and mentally face-palm myself for being such a mong. I make brief eye contact with Naomi, who has an amused smirk on her face.

Effy sighs exasperatedly at my lame attempt at forming words, but thankfully doesn't comment. "So you'll come then?" Effy gives Naomi some sort of weird look that I don't quite understand. Naomi just sighs and nods her head with her eyes closed. "Great, be at mine by 8. You're going help set up." Naomi rolls her eyes, but agrees begrudgingly to be at Effy's at the specified time.

"Now, if that's all you goons wanted, I've got a party to prepare for," Naomi practically sings with a smirk as she pulls her bag back over her shoulder.

"Always a pleasure, Campbell," Effy says sarcastically. She receives a middle finger in response.

"See you, Naomi," I say quietly as she gets up. I really only said it because I like the way her name feels on my tongue. Naomi smiles to herself and does a cute little wave as she walks away from us backwards. I heave a dreamy sigh and sink back against the tree.

"You're pathetic," Effy says while handing me a flask that seemingly appeared from nowhere, but that's something I've learned to expect from Effy.

"So, what's with this party?" I throw the drink back and choke when the liquid hits the back of my throat. "Guh, what the hell is that?" I ask with a scrunched up face, voice hoarse from the disgustingly harsh alcohol I just swallowed. At least I assumed it was alcohol.

"I call it Makeshift Moonshine. It fucks you up," Effy says with a smirk on her lips. "And as for the party," Effy pulls out her phone and sends out a few texts at this, "consider it sorted." I just sigh and plug my nose as I take another swig from Effy's flask. I've got a feeling I'll need it to cope with whatever Effy has up her sleeve.

* * *

><p>Effy's house is empty save for our two bodies, the furniture, and countless bottles of alcohol lining nearly every flat surface. She had to steal at least half of the bottles from several different liquor stores and blackmailed her mother into leaving the house, but her efforts had paid off. The house had already been idiot-proofed a long time ago, thanks to the Stonem's all having a shared problem with drinking, so it was the perfect house for a ton of inebriated teens to congregate. It was nearing the hour of 8, and I was buzzing in my seat in anticipation of Naomi's arrival. The effects of the Moonshine, however strong they had been initially, had long ago worn off. I had asked Effy for more of the venom several times in order to steel myself for the no-doubt awkward interaction I was about to have with Naomi, but after the hour of 5, she cut me off.<p>

"Please?" I pleaded again from my place on the floor. I was desperate for some liquid courage, as I was confident without it I would be a bumbling mess around the hypnotizing blonde. Something flew by my head and I turned to see the offending object. It was a shoe. I looked up to the couch and found Effy sitting curled up in the corner with one bare foot.

"Shut up now," Effy said in a level voice and took a pull from the flask. I groaned and reached for the shoe that was now residing by my head. Just as my hand made contact with the object I was about to catapult at Effy's head for being a drink hog, another shoe hit my hand with velocity.

"Ow! The fuck, Eff?" I bark while cradling my now-throbbing hand. Effy just made a tisking sound and shook her head.

"Behave, Emily. Or else I won't give you your surprise." My ears perked up at this, and my head shot up to look at Effy, who was regarding me with her signature smirk.

"Surprise?" I questioned doubtfully.

"Surprise." Effy spoke calmly and slowly, as though she were speaking to a small child or a dog. This only made me wearier of the supposed surprise.

"What kind of surprise?" I asked tentatively.

"A good one," Effy stated as she rose to her feet and fetched her shoes, successfully ending the conversation. She silently slipped them on and headed for her front door, stepping over me as she did so. She walked out, leaving the door open behind her, and I scrambled to my feet to catch up with her.

"Where are you going?" I asked, slightly winded after having to jog to reach her. For someone who appears to move so lazily, she really does manage to cover some ground.

"I've got a date with a hot blonde," Effy states, head forward. I check the time on my phone. 7:54. Naomi will be at Effy's any minute now. I jog a bit to step in front of Effy, and she stops and looks at me with a raised eyebrow in question.

"I know, so why are we leaving your house? Didn't you tell her to meet us there?" I question, sounding a bit desperate. Effy smirks at my obvious distress.

"Now, what kind of gentle-lady would I be if I didn't pick up my date?" There's amusement in her voice. I'm tempted to smack her in the face for joking about this. I know she realizes just how much this opportunity means to me, and now she's fucking it all up. She must see my change in demeanor, because her eyes soften and she reaches out to touch my wrist gently. "Trust me," she says with complete sincerity in her voice, and pulls my wrist slightly to get me walking again. I allow her to pull me along by the wrist, although I'm still not convinced we should be leaving the house in case Naomi shows up only to find it empty and leaves. But Effy has never led me astray before, not since the second we met each other. Sure, she can be a bit of a twat, but I've found that every one of Effy's heavily calculated actions has a desired reaction that she usually gets, so I keep my legs moving in time with hers.

We walk in silence for a few minutes, Effy lightly holding onto my wrist. She stops abruptly and I nearly miss slamming into her behind. She doesn't pay any mind, though; just wordlessly lets go of my wrist and makes her way up to the front door of a cute yellow home. I remain standing at the sidewalk and smile at the scene, reveling in the fact that this must be where Naomi lives. I store the address into my little mental file of things I know about Naomi, and try to ignore just how creepy that is.

I'm standing behind Effy as she softly knocks on the door. I hear shuffling on the other side and suddenly the door flies open to reveal a cheery blonde woman with an infectious smile and blue eyes that aren't quite the right shade, but are lovely all the same. Her smile only grows when she registers that it's Effy at her doorstep, and I find myself smiling with her, despite not having a just cause and being nervous as hell. I glance at Effy and see that even her lips are curled up in a shy smile.

"Elizabeth, love, how nice to see you. What can I do you for?" the woman asks warmly, in a British accent I hadn't realized I'd been missing so much until now, as she leans against the doorframe in a relaxed manner. I snicker at the use of Effy's full name, receiving myself a quick jab of her elbow into my ribs. I clutch at my chest despite the blow not being particularly painful. I hear a light chuckle from the doorway and look up to see who I assume is Naomi's mother smiling at the pair of us, eyes now trained on me. "And you brought a friend?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow. I feel myself turn inward on having her attention shifted onto me, but I open my mouth to introduce myself anyways. Before I manage to choke out a response, however, Effy places her hand gently on my forearm and speaks for me.

"This is Emily," and I can't help but feel like there's a deeper meaning to her words. The woman's eyebrows perk up and she turns to regard me fully. I didn't think it was possible, but her smile got even bigger.

"Emily, how lovely to meet you! I'm Gina, Naomi's mom. Please, come in, the pair of you. Can I get you guys anything to drink? Some tea, perhaps?" She moves from the doorway to make room for us to enter into the house. The first things I notice are the pictures lining the walls. A significantly smaller Naomi is present in nearly every one, and there are countless of them. I have to force myself not to observe every single one closely.

"That's alright Gina, I'm just going to grab Naomi. Emily, stay put." Effy flies up a set of stairs before I have time to object. Gina just chuckles.

"I love that girl to bits, but she is a bit odd, isn't she? Sure you wouldn't like any tea while you wait for Effy to get my stubborn cow of a daughter out of bed? I was just about to make myself a cuppa," Gina asks as she closes the door behind me.

"I'd love one, actually. If it wouldn't be too much trouble?" I respond, hoping to get some time alone to examine the photos littering the walls.

"Oh, don't be silly. I'll go put the kettle on," she says sweetly as she smiles at me and heads towards the kitchen. I smile back politely and thank her as she walks off. I wait until she's around the corner to start ogling the walls. I've been browsing for a bit before one in particular catches my eye. I smile softly at a picture of a very young Naomi, I'd guess around 6 years old, sitting on a smiling Gina's shoulders holding up a sign that reads "cows have feelings too" in very childish handwriting, looking very upset.

"She insisted on doing a demonstration against every commercialized fast food place in town. That one was at McDonald's, I think." I jump at Gina's sudden presence behind me. She just chuckles lightly and moves to stand next to me. "Sorry, love, didn't mean to frighten you." I mumble some sort of forgiveness while she silently assesses the photo next to me with a half-smirk. "I tried to convince her to try tackling something smaller, but her heart was set on it. Had me calling up every local newspaper, she did. Asking them to write an article about why it was wrong to eat meat. I didn't actually call them, obviously, just held fake conversations with the dial tone. Eventually she gave up, moved onto the next injustice. I was damned glad of it, too. I was beginning to grow tired of having to hire a sitter every time I wanted to go out and get a burger," she says in a dreamy tone, seemingly lost in the memory. I laugh at this new information; amazed by this amazing girl I still know so little about. Gina turns and smiles cheekily at me. "Don't tell her I told you that, she'd have my head. Come, come, take a seat in the kitchen with me and I'll tell you more embarrassing stories about my daughter over our tea. Knowing Naomi, they'll be a while."

* * *

><p>It's been a good half-hour since Effy abandoned me with Gina, but I really don't mind because I'm having such a great time. My mental folder of creepy facts about Naomi has grown to at least twice its size, and the older woman really is just great fun. Our cups of tea have long been discarded, as has the old photo album full of Naomi's naked baby pictures, and now we're just chatting like old friends.<p>

"So, Emily, I couldn't help but notice your peculiar accent. Where exactly is it you're from?" Gina asks as she sits down after pouring out our cold tea.

"Manchester originally, but my dad's gym business has moved us all around since as early as I can remember. So a bit of everywhere, really," I respond with a shrug of my shoulders. Gina's eyes brighten with interest.

"Maybe you could get Naomi to join one of those gyms, hm? Lord knows that girl could get out more. Lazy sack needs to get off her arse, if you ask me." We chuckle together at this, as I try my hardest not to imagine Naomi all hot and sweaty from a good workout.

"Lovely, mom." I whip my head around at the sound of her voice. My breath catches in my throat at the sight of her. Her peroxide blonde hair is down, cascading past her shoulders in beautiful natural waves that I desperately want to tangle my hands in. She's wearing a super sexy dark floral print dress with a brown motor jacket with black leather sleeves on top and black tights underneath, paired with a pair of all-black Vans. Her lips are painted a deep cherry red, and I subconsciously lick mine at the sight of them. I look up to meet her eyes, which are covered in beautiful smoky makeup, and see her regarding me shyly. "Hey, Emily." Thankfully Gina doesn't give me time to respond, because I'm pretty sure the sight of Naomi looking this good melted my brain.

"Oh, you know I mean that in the upmost loving way. You look nice, are you heading out?" Gina barely contains her excitement at this, and Naomi rolls her eyes in response.

"Yeah. Going to a party. I'll be back tomorrow, probably." Naomi shrugs and turns to leave, but Gina has already started to speak again.

"But love, I thought you wanted me to tell anyone that came by asking for you that you didn't feel well?" Gina asks so sickeningly sweet that I know she's doing it just to wind Naomi up. I look over at Effy, who's barely containing her smirk. Naomi spins around in annoyance.

"Yeah, well you kind of cocked that up, didn't you?" Naomi's eyes widen at something on the table. "Mom, no. You did not show Emily that picture album." Her cheeks are bright red and she looks completely mortified. I can't help myself but to find it completely adorable.

"Well, of course I did, darling. What kind of embarrassing mother would I be if I didn't show your friends your nudes?" Effy bursts out laughing, and I have to force myself to look at least little bit sheepish. Naomi's nostrils flare and she clenches her fists.

"Godamnit, mom! You are impossible!" Gina just stands up and places a small kiss on the top of her fuming daughter's head.

"Oh, hush and stop winding your face up like that. It's not a good look for such a pretty girl. Be safe, and steer clear of tequila. We both know that is never a good idea for you." Gina turns to me and wraps me in a warm embrace. I'm surprised at this, but I don't comment. "It was an absolute pleasure meeting you Emily. Don't be a stranger." I smile up at this amazing woman and she bops my nose, making me giggle. Then she turns to Effy with open arms. "And you, come here you twat." Effy rolls her eyes and with false discontent idles into Gina's awaiting hug. "Barely said two words to me, you did. You stop by and have a proper visit with me soon, okay?" Gina pulls away and holds Effy at arms-length until Effy rolls her eyes again and nods. "Good. Now get out of here, you lot. And Emily, keep an eye on my daughter, will you?" She shoots me a wink, and my cheeks turn a furious red. I just nod in response and follow Naomi and Effy out.

"Bye, cow!" Naomi shouts into the house before slamming the door behind her. "My god, that woman," she mutters under her breath as she walks next to me, both of us trailing behind Effy, who is lighting up a fag I'm sure she's been craving.

"I think she's nice," I say as I bump shoulders with the blonde on my side. I hear her sigh and see her lip curl up into a half-smile from the corner of my eye.

"She's a cliché," she says, all venom gone from her voice.

"Well, she's a nice cliché," I say cheekily as I skip to catch up with Effy and pluck her lighter out of her back pocket. She doesn't even flinch, just wordlessly takes her pack out of her coat pocket and hands me a fag, which I greedily take into my mouth and light up. I'm just about to take my second drag when two thin, elegant fingers pluck my cigarette from my mouth. I look over and see Naomi taking a long, slow drag. I must've been staring, because she blows out and looks at me with a mischievous look.

"What?" she asks, smirking. She brings the cigarette back up to her mouth to take another drag, but I take it out of my mouth and put it back in mine.

"Bitch," I say through the corner of my mouth, the cig wobbling as I speak. Naomi just smiles back at me.

"You two disgust me," Effy deadpans suddenly and walks ahead of us. I look down to hide my blush with my hair. The rest of the walk is spent in silence.


End file.
